Table 2:
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics by Etiology
| HSE Cases (n = 60) | All Non-HSE Cases (n = 191) | Other Non-HSE Infectious Cases (n = 48) | Autoimmune Cases (n = 21) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age, y (SD) | 56.8 (19.2) | 50.2a (17.2) | 48.4b (18.6) | 42.2c (15.8) |
| Women (%) | 30/60 (50) | 95/191 (50) | 22/48 (46) | 18/21c (86) |
| Non-white race (%) | 21/60 (35) | 102/191a (53) | 29/48b (60) | 12/21c (57) |
| Symptoms for <1 wk before presentation (%) | 51/58 (88) | 111/174a (64) | 31/43b (72) | 7/18c (39) |
| Fever (%) | 44/55 (80) | 90/180a (49) | 23/44b (52) | 10/19c (53) |
| Neck stiffness (%) | 17/53 (32) | 39/183 (21) | 14/47 (30) | 6/20 (30) |
| Seizure (%) | 30/55 (55) | 104/184 (57) | 23/46 (50) | 5/20c (25) |
| Severe HA (%) | 15/29 (52) | 54/116 (47) | 21/36 (58) | 8/15 (53) |
| Impaired consciousness (%) | 37/55 (67) | 116/186 (62) | 30/46 (65) | 15/21 (71) |
| Confusion (%) | 29/32 (91) | 107/126 (85) | 27/34 (79) | 15/18 (83) |
| Aphasia/Mutism (%) | 14/42 (33) | 51/150 (34) | 14/42 (33) | 11/21 (52) |
| Hallucinations (%) | 10/47 (21) | 41/174 (24) | 10/45 (22) | 6/19 (32) |
| Psychosis (%) | 2/38 (5) | 16/143 (11) | 4/39 (10) | 4/20c (20) |
| Movement disorder (%) | 2/7 (29) | 6/47 (13) | 2/9 (22) | 1/8 (13) |
| Ataxia (%) | 8/44 (18) | 54/166a (33) | 15/42b (36) | 9/19c (47) |
| Cranial nerve (%) | 4/39 (10) | 24/150 (16) | 8/41 (20) | 5/18c (28) |
| Rash (%) | 1/52 (2) | 27/179a (15) | 10/47b (21) | 4/19c (21) |
| URI symptoms (%) | 11/53 (21) | 27/175 (15) | 9/44 (20) | 0/19c (0) |
| GI symptoms (%) | 19/52 (37) | 33/176a (19) | 12/46 (26) | 5/20 (25) |
Data are presented as No. (%) unless otherwise indicated. Boldface indicates statistically significant differences (P < .10) in demographics and clinical characteristics between HSE and other etiologies.
Abbreviations: GI, gastrointestinal; HA, headache; HSE, herpes simplex encephalitis; SD, standard deviation; URI, upper respiratory infection.
a HSE compared with non-HSE cases: mean age, P = .012; % nonwhite race, P = .013; % with <1 week of symptoms prior to presentation, P = .001; % with fever, P ≤ .001; % with ataxia, P = .064; % with rash, P = .010; % with GI symptoms, P = .007.
b HSE compared with other infectious cases: mean age, P = .024; % nonwhite race, P = .008; % with <1 week duration of symptoms, P = .003; % with fever, P = .044; % with ataxia, P = .066; % with rash, P = .002.
c HSE compared with autoimmune cases: mean age, P = .003; % women, P = .004; % nonwhite race, P = .076; % with <1 week duration of symptoms, P≤.001; % with fever, P = .021; % with seizure, P = .023; % with psychotic symptoms, P = .080; % with ataxia, P = .017; % with cranial nerve deficits, P = .092; % with rash, P = .005; % with URI symptoms, P = .031.